Virat Kohli and Ajit Agarkar: May 7 and May 12, 2025—These two dates in the history of Indian Cricket Team will be remembered by fans for a long time. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket on those two days. The cricket world was surprised by their sudden decision. After almost a year and a half, former Indian cricketer Wasim Zafar rekindled the retirement controversy. He claims that Virat’s relationship with the selectors and his treatment may have influenced his decision to retire. Even, serious allegations have been made against the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar.
Jafar’s explosive claim about Virat’s retirement
Wasim Zafar opened up about Virat Kohli’s Test retirement on his YouTube channel. According to him, he was not satisfied with the way Virat was treated. According to Zafar, a star cricketer like Virat could have played Tests for several more years. But the situation may have hurt him mentally. However, it is not possible to say for sure what exactly was the reason behind the retirement as Virat himself did not publicly say anything about the matter.
Agarkar’s selection committee points the finger of blame
The name of Indian team’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar has come up in the discussion about Virat’s retirement. Whether or not Virat’s uncomfortable situation with the selection committee, hinted at by Jafar, needs to be looked into. According to him, the question of how a cricketer like Virat was treated is important. However, neither evidence nor Virat’s own statement has surfaced that he was forced to retire outright. As a result, the matter is limited to Jafar’s complaints and observations at the moment.
Virat was preparing for a trip to England?
Before Virat announced his retirement, several videos of him practicing in red ball cricket came to light. Seeing them, many thought that he was preparing himself for the England tour. That is why his announcement of Test retirement on May 12, 2025 came as an even more surprise to cricket lovers. Jafar also said that Virat was preparing to visit England. As a result, it is natural to question his sudden decision to step down. However, if there is a practice video, it cannot be said that he decided to play Test for sure.
Virat is India’s third highest run-scorer in Tests
Virat Kohli was one of the most successful batsmen in Indian cricket when he retired from Test cricket. He has collected 9230 runs in 123 Tests for the country. He is third in the list of highest run scorers in Tests among Indians. He needed another 770 runs to reach the historic milestone of 10,000 runs. On the other hand, Virat needed 893 more runs to surpass Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 10,122 runs. Before achieving that goal, he said goodbye to red ball cricket.
Bad form in the test is one of the reasons for retirement?
At the time of Virat’s retirement, there were also questions about his Test form. His personal highest score in the last seven Test innings was just 36 runs. The total collection in those seven innings was 85 runs. He crossed the fifty mark only once in the last 13 Test innings. As a result, there was no way to deny that there was pressure not to get runs in red ball cricket. However, there is no evidence to conclude that poor form was the sole reason for his retirement.
Durant Virat in ODIs, the question of return is raised
Despite a tough time with the bat in Tests, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Virat’s performance in white-ball cricket. According to reports, he scored 552 runs at an average of 69 in nine ODI innings this year. This statistic proves how formidable Virat can be when he returns to form. However, the fast rhythm in ODI and the challenge of Test cricket are not the same. Now the question is, was his retirement from Tests a purely personal decision, or did pressure play a role? It is difficult to get a definite answer to that speculation until Virat himself opens up.